Why is there sand in deserts and no dirt? Why isn’t there sand anywhere else?

Question

I figured it was something to do with sand being light enough to be carried by wind, but that wouldn’t explain why the rest of the world lacks sand.

In: 327

Answer 1

This is a misconception. Most deserts have a lot of dirt and it is the rare desert that only has sand. Although the soil still has sand mixed in, but so does the soil of a lot of non-desert places.

Here is a map of soil composition over the United States and you’ll find sand in various concentrations in every state.

https://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/images/87220/soil-composition-across-the-us